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She’s only a 16-year-old high school junior, but already Shae-Lyn Briggs counts among her accomplishments performing at New York City’s famed Carnegie Hall.

The Coughlin High School student, who has also performed at the Kirby Center, Waverly House and Wilkes University, said she was frightened to think she was performing in the same venue as so many other great artists. But her voice and piano instructor, Andrea Bogusko, said Shae-Lyn is a talented performer who can move past the nervousness.

“She prepares very carefully and loves her music,” said Bogusko, of Andrea Bogusko Music Co. in Wilkes-Barre Township. “She handles the competition very well. She hides her nervousness. It doesn’t show. Once she starts singing and once she starts playing, the music just takes over and she puts her heart and soul into what she does.”

Shae-Lyn’s family said they knew she was special as early as kindergarten, when she began bringing home accolades from teachers impressed with her go-getter attitude. Her mother, Dawn, said she was often concerned about Shae-Lyn’s safety and that she would make the right choices while Briggs works evenings as a certified nurses’ assistant at a nursing home.

“I’m a single parent, but Shae-Lyn was the kind of person who was very focused,” Briggs said. “I just encouraged her and supported her in everything that she wanted to take part in.”

Her worries were unfounded. Shae-Lyn’s grades stayed up. She is a member of the French National Honor Society, and she excelled at the piano. Shae-Lyn said her driving force is her faith.

“I’m a very religious person, so if I do a mistake or if I have a fault ... I just pray, you know, to the Father and ask Him to help me to be better next time and to help me to improve,” said Shae-Lyn, who is a member of the Wyoming Valley Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Plains Township and also an active participant in the Pathfinder Bible Experience.

Her gift for singing emerged while a student at Solomon/Plains Junior High School. As a member of the honor roll society, Shae-Lyn was asked to perform the Star-Spangled Banner. Her mother said Shae-Lyn’s voice amazed the audience.

Shae-Lyn said she had already been dabbling in singing, but that was her first major public performance. It was a defining moment.

“To get the honor to do that, I thought, ‘Wow, I’m getting noticed. My voice is actually being seen as something that’s not so small,’” she said.

Shae-Lyn’s after-school piano lessons were soon joined by singing instruction. Bogusko worked with her to develop her ability. In 2011, Bogusko, the president of the Northeast Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association, got Shae-Lyn involved in an audition to perform at different venues. The higher the score, the more prestigious the venue.

Judges scored performers from across the state based on factors such as breath control, artistry and articulation. Shae-Lyn scored 98 out of 100 — enough to secure a spot at Carnegie Hall.

Despite performing at one of the world’s premier venues before the age of 18, Shae-Lyn said she isn’t planning on a career in entertainment.

“People ask me that all the time: ‘Why don’t you be a singer? Why don’t you do this?’ I don’t know. I didn’t think it was a stable job, you know what I mean?” Shae-Lyn said. “I never really thought about it like that. I thought it was just kind of like a side thing. Something to do for fun.”

Instead, she’s thinking about becoming a surgeon.

She still wants to keep performing as a hobby, and she had some advice for others who have similar dreams.

“If you have your mind set on something, don’t give it up. Don’t just put it aside,” she said. “Keep on reaching for the stars.”

570-821-2058, @cvjimhalpin

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